EVANSTON — It would seem Dean Lowry has taken his game to the next level.

And, in the same manner that he took an interception back 19 yards for a touchdown in Northwestern’s last game: he’s done it rather quickly.

Lowry, a true sophomore and a former standout for the two-time state champion Boylan Titans, already has two of the team’s 10 interceptions, two of its seven sacks and two of its four forced fumbles. He also has three tackles for loss, and has solidified a spot on the starting defensive line rotation for the 4-0 Wildcats, who have climbed to No. 17 in the latest AP poll.

But for Lowry’s relatively young college career, the pick-6 has been the biggest hightlight.

“That was pretty cool,” he said of the score in the Wildcats’ 35-21 win over Maine. “I got a pick versus Syracuse, but I didn’t get very far. So to be able to run one all the way back, and get my team a TD, it just felt really good.

“I’ve never had one of those, so it was nice to finish one off. I got caught at the 1-yard-line on a blocked punt back in high school, and that one had stuck with me for awhile. Now I know I can get in.”

Lowry and that opportunistic defense lead the nation in interceptions (10) and touchdowns off of them (4). That’s been huge since the Wildcats’ other defensive stats — 82nd in the nation in yards per game allowed (426.8) and 52nd in points per game allowed (23.8) — need improvement.

Lowry and his teammates are working on that every week.

“I’m getting better every day,” he said “and as a defense, we feel like we’re improving every week ... every practice.”

With a hefty Big Ten schedule in front of them, they will need to. This weekend the Wildcats enjoyed what Lowry called a “needed off week.” They open league play Saturday when undefeated and fourth-ranked Ohio State comes to Evanston. The Buckeyes are second in the nation with 311.0 yards on the ground per game, and they’ve allowed just five sacks and thrown just three interceptions.

“Every week it’s about putting in the hard work and preparing yourself the right way,” Lowry said. “At this level, every opponent is tough. Obviously, everybody around here has bought in to Coach Fitz’s (Pat Fitzgerald) way. We’re ready every week.”

Lowry credits the strong start to his sophomore season to the experience he gained as a freshman. He played in all 13 games last year, accumulating 14 tackles — three for loss — and six QB hurries.

And it didn’t go unnoticed.

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“He’s doing a great job on his film study, great job on his preparation and he’s a guy that I think through the experiences he had a year ago is really starting to come into his own,” Fitzgerald said. “He has a great grasp of the system, plays incredibly hard with terrific effort and he’s just, in my opinion, just continuing to get better and better.”

The key was that Lowry turned into a film-room and weight-room junkie. He’s added 30 pounds of muscle since graduating from Boylan, and now the 6-foot-6, 265-pounder is a force.

“I knew I could play in the Big Ten,” he said. “I basically have learned that, with enough hard work, anything is possible.”

Here is where Boylan graduate Dean Lowry already ranks in tackles and tackles for loss among local athletes who played Division 1 college football.

(Note: The list below includes only players who played after 1970 since most colleges did not collect defensive stats prior to that year. If you believe someone has been left off the list contact Alex Gary at agary@rrstar.com.)